Snow removal machine



March 17, 1959 F. FLYNN snow REMOVAL MACHINE Filed Aug. 11, 1954 IN V EN TOR.

A'm/v/r 7 5 W 2,877,762 Patented Mar. 17, 1959 SNOW REMOVAL MACHINE Frank Flynn, Long Branch, N. J.

Application August 11, 1954, Serial No. 449,200

2.Claims. (CI. 126-3435) This invention relates to snow removal machines and particularly to snow removal machines that completely dispose of the snow where it is picked up from the street or road.

In disposing of snow there is always present the problem of removing the snow to some location where it can be dumped. This requires a large fleet of trucks which substantially increases the cost of snow removal. The purpose of this invention is to eliminate the need for these trucks by using a single snow removal machine that collects the snow and disposes of it at the place of collection. It is well known that although snow is large in volume and in a given fall it may be quite deep the amount of water obtained by the melting of the snow is substantially smaller in volume and therefore not so bulky and difiicult to dispose of.

The present invention utilizes this feature by melting the snow to water and draining the melted snow to the ground. Before the melted snow is drained off it is mixed with a concentrated brine solution to prevent it from freezing into ice. The concentrated brine solution runs off through the normal channels of drainage of the road or street, such as sewage or drainage ditches.

The object of this invention is to provide a snow removal machine that can dispose of a large quantity of snow.

Another object of this invention is to provide a snow removal machine that picks the snow up, melts the snow and mixes it with a concentrated brine solution and drains the mixture onto the ground.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a snow melting machine that is carried by a single truck or trailer chassis movable on wheels.

Another object of the invention is to provide a snow removal machine that has manually handled steam nozzles for cleaning snow oflE objects on or adjacent to the road or street.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the drawings in which:

The figure illustrates a snow removal machine.

In the figure a snow removal system is diagrammatically illustrated. The representation of the machine in this figure is not intended to set forth the snow removal machine in detail and is not intended to include conventional parts. The snow removal machine is mounted in a single chassis 40 of a truck or trailer and has a feed chute or feed scoop 41 comprising an enclosing chute 42 with a traveling conveyor belt 43 mounted on wheels or sprockets 44 and 45. The belt 43 has paddles 46 to efficiently carry the snow from the surface of the road up inside of the tank 47, delivering the snow through an opening 48. The tank 47 and the conveyor 43 extend substantially across the full width of the truck or trailer 10. The tank 47 has pipes 49 mounted on blocks 49a on the bottom of the tank 47 and formed into a series of U-shaped sections which carry the pipe back and forth across the bottom of the tank 47. The steam for the pipes is provided by the boiler 50 connected to the pipe 49 by pipes 56 to deliver the steam to the pipe 49 and the condensed steam is returned in liquid form to a water supply tank 51 by means of the pipe 52, pump 53 and a pipe 54. The snow is melted by the heat from the pipes and drained off from the tank 47 by means of drain valves 55 at the bottom of the tank. A brine solution 57 is formed in tank 58 and removed by the centrifugal pump 60 having the intake 61 extending to the wall of the tank 58 into the solution 57. The pump 60 forces the concentrated brine solution 57 through the pipe 62 with orifices 63. The concentrated brine solution is sprayed onto the snow and into the melted snow in the tank 47. The supply of water to the tank 58 is accomplished by the pump 65 having the intake pipe 66 extending downwardly through the tank 4'7 into the melted snow. The pump 65 pumps the water into the pipe 67 to maintain the concentrated brine solution 57. The speeds of pumps 60 and 65 are adjustable so that the depletion of brine by pump 60 is made up by the return pump 65. The pump 65 is pumping a brine solution out of the tank 47. This solution is reinforced by salt from the salt bin 70, with a screw 71 in the bottom thereof to break up the salt and continuously convey it to the opening 73 where it drops through into the solution 57. The salt is replenished through the manhole 72 which normally has a cover 73 to seal the top of the salt bin 70. The tank 58 is also connected to the boiler 50 by means of the pipe 74 with a nozzle 75 on the end thereof. Steam is provided to the nozzle 75. The live steam is forced out through nozzle 75 to heat up the solution 57 and prevent the salt from caking inside the tank 58. Instead of one high pressure boiler 50, two high pressure boilers may be used. The second high pressure boiler may be connected to the steam nozzles located underneath the machine by a high pressure centrifugal pump which forces the live steam out through the nozzles and against the surface of the road. A prime mover, such as a diesel 77, is mounted on a base 78 and is connected by a suitable gear means to the pumps 53, 60 and 65 by means of the shaft 79 to drive the pumps at desired ca pacity. The screw 71 in the salt bin is connected to the shaft 79 by means of a chain and sprocket arrangement 83. The motor 77 is also connected to the drive wheels by means of a shaft 84 and gear box 85. A fuel tank 86 is mounted on the truck 40 to provide fuel for the prime mover 77 and for the boiler 50 connected to the tank 86 by the pipe 87. The boiler is provided with a burner which efiiciently creates steam from the water introduced to the boiler 50 through the pipe 88 interconnecting the water supply and boiler.

In addition, a series of outlets 90 may be provided connected to a pipe 91 that is connected to the boiler 50. Live steam is provided in the pipe 91 to make it available at the outlets 90. Steam hoses (not shown) may be connected to these outlets at one end with manually handled steam nozzles 94 at the other end. The steam nozzles 94 are manipulated by the workmen associated with the truck 40 and by operating the valve in the nozzle 94 hot, live steam may be made to issue therefrom in the form of a jet. The jet of steam may then be directed onto objects such as abandoned automobiles or the like to remove all snow from the automobile.

As previously mentioned, the truck 40 is moved forward at a rate depending upon the amount of snow that the machine can remove. The snow removal machine then rolls along smoothly on the wheels 95 which support the chassis through suitable suspension means 97.

Of course, the chutes or scoops are angularly adjustable so that they may be accommodated to different grades or depths of snow. The movable conveyor may be in the form of a screw picking the snow up and carrying it up the chute to the melting chamber.

chine has been invented and that it completely disposes of the snow which it picks up. There is no necessity for a large fleet of trucks since the melted snow is run oft onto the road and prevented from freezing by the concentrated brine mixed in with it.

As previously mentioned, the machine has only been diagrammatically illustrated to show the relationship between the elements on the trailer and the interconnecting pipes but is not intended to limit the invention to the particular arrangement shown and described. Various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A snow removal machine comprising a tank having an opening at the top, a scoop having a traveling conveyor for picking up snow and dropping it into the tank through said opening, a boiler for converting water to steam, heating pipes in said tank connected to the boiler to receive steam therefrom for turning snow into water, a second tank for holding brine, a salt bin with perforation and a helical screw for breaking up the salt and dropping it into said second tank to form a brine, a means for preventing the solidification of the brine in the second tank by delivering steam into said brine to heat the brine, means for delivering said brine from said second tank to said first tank for mixing the brine with the melted snow and water valves on the bottom of said tank for draining the melted snow and brine mixture from the tank.

2. A snow removal machine as set forth in claim 1 in which a feed means for preventing the solidification of the brine comprises a means for delivering steam in a jet form for churning and heating the brine.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 993,400 Petersen May 30, 1911 999,445 Friedman Aug. 1, 1911 1,746,417 Chrul Feb. 11, 1930 2,515,455 Lipton July 18, 1950 2,681,828 Pollard June 22, 1954 

